NPL
Computer Classes
- Making sense of the mouse
Residents learn computer skills at Janaf Branch Library
It is easy to forget how hard it is. Those of us who gained computer knowledge by bits and starts, learned how to operate computers as they evolved from glorified typewriters to a machine as complex as a jetliner. Not until Norfolk Quarterly visited a Norfolk Public Library Introduction to Computers class did we really appreciate how daunting it is to tackle the modern day computer. Instructor Jeanneane Southern offered her intent class tips and encouragement, “Remember how to use your mouse. Use your index finger . . . don’t drive your mouse like a steering wheel. I hear the guilty ones giggling over here.” Arrows, drop down menus, when to double and single click, – all the navigation terms and movements are a foreign language to the novice. “It’s not working. It does one thing and then another,” puzzles one student eying her mouse. Later – “Oh, I’ve got it. This is fun.” In FY2009, some 2,184 people attended a computer class, a nearly 50 percent increase. Adults make up most of the students, but Franklin Herbert, who heads the NPL program, said “many kids take my classes who were being home schooled by their parents.
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Participants give many reasons for taking the computer classes, according to Herbert. Many senior citizens just want to become computer liberate; family members either do not have the patience or time to teach them. With family scattered around the world or nation, email is a cheap way to stay in touch. Following the introductory classes, instructors assist patrons in setting up free email accounts with providers such as Yahoo, MSN, and Gmail, if they don’t already have an account. The classes are also popular with patrons who are unemployed and need the computer classes to help them gain employment. “Many of the classes we teach are required in order to gain employment in many jobs,” said Herbert. Finally there are people who are employed but need computer skills to make them more marketable. “They need to advance in their current jobs. We’ve had many employers who have given their employees time off to attend the computer classes,” he said. Instructors will also share information on how to job search on the internet, and show participants various social media technologies. NPL computer classes have become some of the most